This Year's Game Awards Nominees Revealed, Next Year's RPG Avowed Is Looking Great, And More Of The Week's Top News

Photo: @Xavier75 / X, Kevin Winter (Getty Images), Screenshot: FromSoftware, Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox, BioWare / Kotaku, Ubisoft / Kotaku, Image: Digital Foundry / Kotaku, Rockstar Games / Kotaku, Lego / Sony
Photo: @Xavier75 / X, Kevin Winter (Getty Images), Screenshot: FromSoftware, Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox, BioWare / Kotaku, Ubisoft / Kotaku, Image: Digital Foundry / Kotaku, Rockstar Games / Kotaku, Lego / Sony

This week Geoff Keighley graced our phones and laptops to reveal which games will compete for honors at this year’s Game Awards. Games like Astro Bot and Black Myth: Wukong were among those earning several nods, while Dragon Age: The Veilguard saw itself almost entirely locked out (though there’s likely a pretty good explanation for that).

Additionally, we learned that Sony is making moves to acquire FromSoftware, the studio behind games like Elden Ring and Bloodborne. And we spent six hours with Obsidian’s Avowed, coming early next year, and came away convinced that it’s on track to be one of 2025's very best. All this and more in the pages ahead.

Billionaire Waits Outside Supermarket To Fight Call Of Duty Fan

Photo: @Xavier75 / X
Photo: @Xavier75 / X

It’s happened to all of us. You’re playing your favorite game. You’re losing pretty badly. You blame the developers, or cheaters, or the internet. But not all of us have blamed the billionaire who owns our internet service provider, challenged him to a fight, and watched stunned, months later, as he actually showed up. - Ethan Gach Read More

Sony To Buy Owners Of Elden Ring Developer FromSoftware [Update]

Screenshot: FromSoftware
Screenshot: FromSoftware

Reuters is reporting that Sony is in talks to buy Kadokawa Corporation, the company that owns FromSoftware, Spike Chunsoft and many other Japanese businesses. If successful, it would be a big move for Sony, gaining names as big as Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and Danganronpa, and be a strike back against Microsoft’s recent major purchases. - John Walker Read More

6 Hours With Avowed And I’m Already Thinking It’s One Of 2025's Best Games

Screenshot: Obsidian Entertainment
Screenshot: Obsidian Entertainment

There’s a tradition when writing previews of games that says one must hold back on judgments, as a game is not yet finished and could see enormous changes before it’s released. I am, however improper it might be, going to ignore this principle on this occasion, because after spending at least six hours with the opening section of a preview build of Avowed, I already absolutely adore this game. - John Walker Read More

Here Are Your 2024 GOTY Nominees For Geoff Keighley’s 10th Annual Game Awards

Photo: Kevin Winter (Getty Images)
Photo: Kevin Winter (Getty Images)

The nominees for The Game Awards 2024 have been revealed, and they will offer plenty for fans to fight over. The 10th anniversary of host Geoff Keighley’s Oscars-like celebration of interactive arts will choose from the following for the best game of the year: Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and Metaphor: Refantazio. - Ethan Gach Read More

Xbox Will Now Let You Stream Games You Own Without A Console

Screenshot: Xbox
Screenshot: Xbox

Xbox is expanding its streaming options and will now let players stream some games they already own that aren’t included in Game Pass on any device that supports it. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

Some Games Like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Actually Look Worse On PS5 Pro [Update]

Image: Digital Foundry / Kotaku
Image: Digital Foundry / Kotaku

The PlayStation 5 Pro has been out in the wild for over a week now, and while it offers impressive improvements on many existing games, there are also some for which it seems to introduce new issues that make things look worse. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and the Silent Hill 2 remake are just a couple of games that new PS5 Pro owners and Digital Foundry analyses are finding issues with. - Ethan Gach Read More

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Nearly Brought Back Another Hero Alongside The Inquisitor

Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku
Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku

Reading the official Dragon Age: The Veilguard art book is kind of maddening, honestly. I adored the fourth game in BioWare’s fantasy RPG franchise despite my many, many issues with the series going in but each time I look at the art book, which is full of concepts that didn’t make it into the final game, I find myself mourning the moments we never got. One of the biggest problems many fans, myself included, have had with The Veilguard is that so few choices from earlier games carry over, and it seems like BioWare had grand plans during development for more decisions from old games to make an impact. One choice in particular would have brought an old protagonist into the mix: Dragon Age II’s Hawke. Spoilers for Dragon Age: Inquisition follow. - Kenneth Shepard Read More

Star Wars Outlaws Is Ditching Its Most Annoying Feature

Screenshot: Ubisoft / Kotaku
Screenshot: Ubisoft / Kotaku

Star Wars Outlaws’ road to redemption has hit a major milestone today with the release of its first story pack, fourth major update, and long-awaited arrival on Steam. There will be a lot to unpack about the state of Ubisoft’s open-world stealth adventure in the days and weeks ahead but the most important thing to know right now is that the game is ditching its most annoying feature. - Ethan Gach Read More

GTA 6 Fans Think The Moon Is Telling Them When The Next Trailer Will Arrive

Image: Rockstar Games / Kotaku
Image: Rockstar Games / Kotaku

A random promo image from Rockstar Games featuring the moon as seen in Grand Theft Auto V has led to a wild theory that, actually, the space orb that controls our tides in that image is really a clue pointing to when the next GTA 6 trailer will drop. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

Horizon Zero Dawn’s Second Lego Set Is Coming And It Won’t Break The Bank

Image: Lego / Sony
Image: Lego / Sony

Two years after the Lego Tallneck was released, Sony has announced its second Horizon Zero Dawn crossover set with the toy brick company, and just in time for the launch of the abridged, Lego Horizon Adventures adaptation of the open-world RPG. The set is actually affordable, too. - Ethan Gach Read More

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